Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-16


way of st. Joe. They have already
purchased property i'll st. Joe to the
amount of $3.50, 900. Their object, 1t
is said, is to build from Atchison to
that city and thence direct to Chicago.
This is retaliatory move against the
Rock Island for invading their terri
tory in Kansas.
SOME people who have been proclaim
ing for the past three months that the
boom in western Kansas was destined
to end with this year, will now have
an opportunity of fixing another time
for the end of the great boom. There
is no prospect of our boom ending un-
til the thousands of fertile acres which
have never been fllrrowed are covered
with waving fields of corn and wheat.
One who has never been here can not
realize the boundless resources which
are yet to be developed.
If a man desires to fall in love with
Kansas he should travel through the
state now. On every hand he will see
fields of waving corn promising rich
harvests to the husbandman. The
farm-houses are all comparatively new
and somehow have a thrifty and con-
tented look. The horses and cattle are
fat and sleek, evidencing the rich
pasturage found every where without
price or money. No man can go
through Kansas at this season without
feeling that it is goodly land where
peace and p lenty abide.
IT is our duty to again call the at
tention of the authorities to the fast
driving on our principal streets, par
ticularly South Main street. Almost
daily some belated traveller jumps into
a hack and tears down the street to
catch train, regardless of people who
may be ON the crossings OF driving on
the streets, and young bloods, land
old ones too,) who wish to ''show Off
an imaginary fast team, whip up when
they get upon main thrOughfare
where the attention of the people VIII
be attracted TO Tile -OttG.
How much better would Main street
look if we had handsome and substan-
tial stone pavements along the buSi-
ness part of it. Our council passed an
ordinance recently prohibiting the put
ting down of any but stone sidewalks
within certain limits. We think there
are number of places now where the
old, worn out wooden walks should be
condemned and new pavements put
down. We are proud of our town, and
shall make all reasonable efforts to
Improve it whenever possible.
THE young prairie chickens are be-
ginning to ''p-e-e-p, p-e-e-p," from
out the labyrinths of the waving blue
stem; the plump checked sand hill
plumbs will soon put on their usual
roseate hue, and the timid(?) politician
begins to stretch out his feelers and
suggest to the opposition party who
they should put up for candidate for
county office. Brother Chapman has
shaken the dust out of his feathers,
and begun to let fly a few strokes at
the trouble giving mugwumps; but
the price of real estate in Great Bend
and Barton county is still OH the rise.
a READER of the DEMOCRAT has re-
quested us to say which one of the
towns in Hamilton county is really the
,fU no
that it was ut first reported that Cool
idge had defeated Syracuse in a recent
election, and afterwards the news
came that Kendall was still holding
the fort, or at least holding the books.
The fact is no decision can be made
until it is decided by the supreme
court whether the election last fall was
legal. If decided in the affirmative
Syracuse will be the county seat. But
if it is decided that it was illegal then
we presume the whole matter. will go
back to the people and Kendall will
remain the county seat until an cleo
ton shall decide the question.
THERE is no doubt that the discov-
cry of natural gas, or rather its appli-
cation, for it has long been known, is
destined to work q great change in the
country. Many towns WHICH would
otherwise have always remained villa
ges will make great cities, and on the
other hand some large cities which
have had great prestige as manufac-
turing centers will find themselves un-
able to compete with their more un-
fortunate neighbors. If Great Bend